jay varma.r of population health sciences, and the director of the cornell center for pandemic prevention and respse at weill cornell medicine. dr. varma, thank you so much for ing here. the administration has declared a public health emergency. practically speaking, what does that mean? dr. varma: the first and most important thing it does is allow the federal government to tap into emergency funding that is only available when a declaration like this is made. the second thing it does is allows that money to get to states or community organizations faster. you are allowed to bypass normal competitive procurement processes and get money to people faster. the third thing it does, it allows the federal government to waive certain regulations and speed up processes, like getting drugs or vaccines or tests approved faster. the fourth thing, which may be in the long run the most important factor, it raises the political awareness. when every part of the government is notified this is a public health